Clues of Social Polarization Middle Class Fatherhood Experiences in Secular and Conservative Groups in Turkey

Date

2015-08-28

Author

Beşpınar Akgüner, Fatma Umut

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Our study is a comparison of secular and conservative segments of middle class fatherhood in Turkey to understand their fatherhood experiences and transmission of values to the following generation. This is significant within a socio-political context where the gap between radical religious versus secular lifestyles, ideational and practical organizations of individual and social life are widening. We aim to examine the rising tensions between secular and conservative groups in the Turkish society by focusing on their “distinctive” family life styles and perceptions about the “other’s” values and practices of fatherhood. In this sense, Turkish case represents a good example with the rise of pro-religious conservative political parties since the 1990's, which are promoting “appropriate” social and everyday life practices whereas the secular groups are “defending” their ways of life. These two social fragments of the Turkish society both experience commonalities of middle class lifestyles but also diverse perceptions, values, gender roles, family and class dynamics. Based on a fieldwork conducted in Istanbul and Ankara with 40 fathers, we examine and discuss the changes and continuities in the secular and conservative middle class professional men’s fatherhood experiences by considering both the transformation of social norms/values of middle classes around cosmopolitanism and globalism, and at thesame time the search for authentic local cultural sources. This study provides significant clues in understanding the values children from each subgroup receive, while it also is aimed at comprehending the risks of social polarization based on the perception of “difference” from the “other” group.

URI

http://esa12thconference.eu/sites/esa12thconference.eu/files/esa_2015_book_of_abstracts.pdf
https://hdl.handle.net/11511/86086

Conference Name

European Sociological Association 12th Conference, 25 - 28 Ağustos 2015

Collections

Department of Sociology, Conference / Seminar

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Citation Formats

F. U. Beşpınar Akgüner, “Clues of Social Polarization Middle Class Fatherhood Experiences in Secular and Conservative Groups in Turkey,” presented at the European Sociological Association 12th Conference, 25 - 28 Ağustos 2015, Prag, Çek Cumhuriyeti, 2015, Accessed: 00, 2021. [Online]. Available: http://esa12thconference.eu/sites/esa12thconference.eu/files/esa_2015_book_of_abstracts.pdf.